The American Musical

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The American Musical The American Musical A Literary Study within the Context of American Drama and American Theater with References to Selected American Musicals by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and James Lapine von Marc Bauch Tectum Verlag Marburg 2003 ULB Darmstadt 16593664 IX Content PREFACE V ABOUT THE AUTHOR VII 1. INTRODUCTION '. 1 2. THE AMERICAN MUSICAL 5 2.1 COMMERCE, DEMOCRACY, AND THE AMERICAN MUSICAL 5 2.2 NEW HISTORICISM: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL AS A MIRROR OF REALITY 8 2.3 ASPECTS OF INTERTEXTUALITY IN THE AMERICAN MUSICAL 10 3. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER BETWEEN THE COLONIAL PERIOD AND WORLD WAR II 15 4. THEMES AND TOPICS OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE ERA OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN..^ 27 4.1 THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE 1940s 2? 4.1.1 An Overview of Some Selected Musicals from the 1940s 28 4.1.2 Kurt Weill and his Musicals 32 4.1.3 Rodgers and Hammerstein and their Musicals 34 4.2 THEMES AND TOPICS IN SOUTH PACIFIC 39 4.2.1 South Pacific: A Story of War 41 4.2.2 South Pacific: A Story of Racial Prejudices and National Differences.... 45 4.2.3 South Pacific: A Love Story 49 4.2.4 South Pacific and Tales of the South Pacific: Aspects of Intertextuality 61 5. THEMES AND TOPICS OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE 1950S 67 5.1 THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE 1950s 68 5.1.1 An Overview of Some Selected Musicals from the 1950s 68 5.1.2 The Development of American Dance and Musical Choreography after World War II 70 5.1.3 Leonard Bernstein and his Musicals 73 5.2 THEMES AND TOPICS IN WEST SIDE STORY 75 5.2.1 West Side Story: A Story about Minorities 77 5.2.2 West Side Story: A Story about American Society and the American Dream : 81 5.2.3 West Side Story: A Story about Generation Conflicts 85 5.2.4 West Side Story: A Love Story 92 5.2.5 West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet: Aspects of Intertextual ity 100 6. THEMES AND TOPICS OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE 1960S 109 7. THEMES AND TOPICS OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE ERA OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM Ill 7.1 THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE 1970S AND 1980S 111 7.1.1 An Overview of Some Selected Musical from the 1970s and 1980s 111 7.1.2 Stephen Sondheim and his Musicals 113 XI 7.2 THEMES AND TOPICS IN SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE 117 7.2.1 Sunday in the Park with George: A Story about George Seurat 117 7.2.2 Sunday in the Park with George: A Story of Creation, Fall and Restoration 124 7.2.3 Sunday in the Park with George: A Story of Reception 139 7.2.4 Sunday in the Park with George: A Love Story 142 8. THE AMERICAN MUSICAL IN THE 1990S 151 9. CONCLUSION: THEMES AND TOPICS OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL 155 10. APPENDIX A: AN OUTLINE CHRONOLOGY OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL 159 11. APPENDIX B: THEMES AND TOPICS OF THE CANADIAN MUSICAL 163 12. BIBLIOGRAPHY 167 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PRIMARY WORKS 167 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF USED AND READ SECONDARY WORKS 167 BY THE SAME AUTHOR 175.
Recommended publications
  • UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Doing the Time Warp: Queer Temporalities and Musical Theater Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1k1860wx Author Ellis, Sarah Taylor Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Doing the Time Warp: Queer Temporalities and Musical Theater A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies by Sarah Taylor Ellis 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Doing the Time Warp: Queer Temporalities and Musical Theater by Sarah Taylor Ellis Doctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Sue-Ellen Case, Co-chair Professor Raymond Knapp, Co-chair This dissertation explores queer processes of identification with the genre of musical theater. I examine how song and dance – sites of aesthetic difference within the musical – can warp time and enable marginalized and semi-marginalized fans to imagine different ways of being in the world. Musical numbers can complicate a linear, developmental plot by accelerating and decelerating time, foregrounding repetition and circularity, bringing the past to life and projecting into the future, and physicalizing dreams in a narratively open present. These excesses have the potential to contest naturalized constructions of historical, progressive time, as well as concordant constructions of gender, sexual, and racial identities. While the musical has historically been a rich source of identification for the stereotypical white gay male show queen, this project validates a broad and flexible range of non-normative readings.
    [Show full text]
  • Bradley King and Beowulf Boritt
    A Conversation With BRADLEY KING & BEOWULF BORITT Rendering of Flying Over Sunset - OPENING Book by James Lapine, Music by Tom Kitt, and Lyrics by Michael Korie Directed by James Lapine | Produced by Lincoln Center Theater Set by Beowulf Boritt | Lighting by Bradley King BACKGROUND LED tape is a unique lighting product in today’s entertainment world. Many disciplines of design interact with it - especially lighting and set designers. City Theatrical asked Tony Award winning lighting and scenic designers, Bradley King and Beowulf Boritt, about their work together on Broadway’s Flying Over Sunset to compare their perspectives on the show, LED tape and how they use it, what they see for the future of this LED technology, and their outlook on the future of the theater industry as a whole. Q&A: of our first preview in March 2020. We had LSD use pre-1960s. People think LSD and three invited dress audiences, so only a hippies, but before that, it was recommended City Theatrical (CTI): What is Flying Over handful of people were able to see it. by doctors as an antidepressant, essentially. Sunset about? What was it like to work on it? Bradley King: I agree, for many people the We stayed very far away from any tie show is a complete unknown. It was the dye imagery, and tried to bring a far more Beowulf Boritt: It is hard to say what Flying first realized production of this show ever. nuanced chromatic interpretation to the Over Sunset is, and I think [the writer and And there are not too many cold opens on experience of taking LSD.
    [Show full text]
  • West Side Story
    The Jefferson Performing Arts Society Presents 1118 Clearview Parkway Metairie, LA 70001 504-885-2000 www.jpas.org 1 | P a g e Table of Contents Teacher’s Notes………………………..………………………..……..3 Standards and Benchmarks…………………………...……….…..6 Background…………………………………….…………………..……7 Puerto Rico: History and Connection to the United States………………..20 Rivalries and Resolutions……………………….……..…………..49 The Cultures of Us………………………………………….…..…….81 Portraits of Our Region……………………………………………...89 Additional Resources………………………………….……….…..110 2 | P a g e Teacher’s Notes West Side Story Book by Arthur Laurents Music by Leonard Bernstein Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins Based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" Direction and Choreography by Kenneth Beck Musical Direction by Dr. Donna Clavijo JPAS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Dennis G. Assaf Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day New York City, as two young idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the "American" Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart- wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time. 3 | P a g e West Side Story tells a tale of cultural conflict. There is a clash between people of European descent (the Jets) and those of Puerto Rican decent (the Sharks.) Culture encompasses many things and is embodied by many things. Often, when we hear this word “culture” we think of the arts. Art is can embody culture and display it, visually (paintings, photographs, sculptures) or through sound and movement (music, dance or theater.) Art can depict the style of clothing or hair, types of food people like to eat, or celebrations that are important to them.
    [Show full text]
  • A Pair of Star Crossed Lovers Take Their Life…” Is a Passage from the Prologue
    Name: Multiple Choice Act I _____ 1. “A pair of star crossed lovers take their life…” is a passage from the prologue. The term “star- crossed levers” means: a. Romeo and Juliet are destined by fate not to have a happy life b. Romeo compared Juliet’s eyes to stars c. Romeo and Juliet used the stars to find each other d. Their getting together was predicted by the stars _____ 2. Benvolio tries to make peace during the street brawl but is stopped by: a. the Prince b. Tybalt c. someone biting his thumb at him d. Romeo _____ 3. At the beginning of the play, Romeo is sad because: a. Tybalt vowed to kill him b. Rosalyn will not return his love c. Juliet will not return his love d. because of the big fight _____ 4. At the party, a. Tybalt recognizes Romeo b. Lord Capulet tells Tybalt to kill Romeo c. Mercutio gets drunk b. Benvolio falls in love with Juliet Act II _____ 5. Juliet professes her love for Romeo because: a. she is mad at her father b. she is scared that since he is a Montague, he will hate her c. she is unaware that he is in the garden listening d. Romeo tells her he loves her first _____ 6. “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” means: a. Why are you Romeo? b. Who is Romeo? c. Where are you Romeo? d. Yo! What sup? _____ 7. That night they agree to: a. keep their love a secret b. get married c. kill Tybalt d.
    [Show full text]
  • Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Abridged for The
    Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Abridged for the Shakespeare Schools Festival by Martin Lamb & Penelope Middelboe 30 MINUTE VERSION © Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) “We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” Copyright of the abridged scripts rest with Shakespeare Schools Festival charity. Your registration fee only allows you to perform the abridgement during the current Festival. You may not share the script with other schools, or download all the scripts for personal use. A public performance of the SSF abridged script must be premiered at the professional SSF theatre. 1 LIST OF ROLES Prince Escalus PRINCE OF VERONA Paris A YOUNG COUNT Montague HEAD OF THE HOUSE OF MONTAGUE Capulet HEAD OF THE HOUSE OF CAPULET Romeo MONTAGUE’S SON Mercutio KINSMAN TO THE PRINCE, FRIEND TO ROMEO Benvolio NEPHEW TO MONTAGUE, FRIEND TO ROMEO Tybalt NEPHEW TO LADY CAPULET Juliet DAUGHTER TO CAPULET Nurse to Juliet Lady Montague WIFE TO MONTAGUE Lady Capulet WIFE TO CAPULET Friar Lawrence OF THE FRANCISCAN ORDER, FRIEND TO ROMEO Friar John OF THE FRANCISCAN ORDER Balthazar SERVANT TO ROMEO Sampson SERVANTS TO CAPULET & Gregory Abraham SERVANT TO MONTAGUE An Apothecary Citizens, Revellers And Others 2 PROLOGUE CHORUS Two households both alike in dignity, In fair Verona where we lay our scene From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star crossed lovers take their life: Whose misadventured piteous overthrows, Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. SCENE 1 A street ENTER SAMPSON and GREGORY of the house of Capulet, in conversation.
    [Show full text]
  • West Side Story As Shakespearean Tragedy and a Celebration of Love and Forgiveness
    “The Boy Must Die? Yes, the Boy Must Die”: West Side Story as Shakespearean Tragedy and a Celebration of Love and Forgiveness West Side Story is based on Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, and is considered to be one of the finest adaptations of a Shakespearean play ever written. The structure of the first act of West Side Story follows almost exactly the structure of the first three acts of Romeo and Juliet. And the major characters of West Side Story, Tony and Maria, are parallels to Romeo and Juliet. The opening fight between the Jets and the Sharks mirrors the fight between the Montagues and Capulets and this fight is broken up by the modern American representation of the law, Officer Krupke, instead of the Prince who weighs in against the two warring clans in Renaissance Verona. In both the modern musical and the Renaissance tragedy, the opening scene, in the manner of Greek tragedy, lays bare the plague that afflicts society—unchecked violence exacerbated by extreme prejudice. The two scenes that follow, the introduction of Romeo/Tony, and of Juliet/Maria, depict the longing of the young to escape from this plague. Romeo/Tony knows that the current trajectory of his life is meaningless and hopes that a new path will open up for him. And Juliet/Maria does not want to marry within the narrow confines of her familial/ethnic group, seeking instead to forge her own path for her own life. Thus the conflict between the protagonists and an antagonistic society is established. When Romeo/Tony and Juliet/Maria meet and fall in love in the next two scenes, the dance and balcony scenes, this conflict is set in motion.
    [Show full text]
  • Background Notes
    Background Notes William Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare: A brief biography • Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, England to an upper/ middle class family. Shakespeare: A brief biography • He learned Latin and Greek history in his grammar school as a child. This would explain the Latin and Greek references in his works. • There is not evidence that Shakespeare continued his schooling after elementary school. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography In 1582 at the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway who was 26. She was pregnant before they were married. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography • After a few years of marriage, Shakespeare left Stratford-on-Avon and his family for London to pursue his career in acting and writing. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography • Shakespeare wrote and acted with The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. This was an acting troupe that would perform during Shakespeare’s time. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography • It is believed that Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. • In his will, Shakespeare left his daughters the majority of his wealth and possessions. He left his wife his “second best bed”. Shakespeare: A Brief Biography • The inscription on his tomb states: "Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.” Shakespeare wrote this because in his time, old bodies were dug up and burned to make room for new burials. Shakespeare despised this treatment of bodies, so he wrote this. Romeo and Juliet and Elizabethan Theater • Shakespeare did not create the story of Romeo and Juliet.
    [Show full text]
  • Download (Pdf)
    SUBLIME PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING MUSICAL MUSIC & LYRICS BY BOOK BY STEPHEN JAMES SUNDAY IN THESONDHEIM LAPINE DIRECTED BY PETER PARK WITH GEORGEDUBOIS CURRICULUM GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Standards 3 Guidelines for Attending the Theatre 4 Artists 5 Themes for Writing & Discussion 8 Mastery Assessment 10 For Further Exploration 12 Suggested Activities 15 © Huntington Theatre Company Boston, MA 02115 September 2016 No portion of this curriculum guide may be reproduced without written permission from the Huntington Theatre Company’s Department of Education & Community Programs Inquiries should be directed to: Donna Glick | Director of Education [email protected] This curriculum guide was prepared for the Huntington Theatre Company by: Marisa Jones | Education Associate with contributions by: Alex Smith | Manager of Curriculum & Instruction COMMON CORE STANDARDS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS: Student Matinee performances and pre-show workshops provide unique opportunities for experiential learning and support various combinations of the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts. They may also support standards in other subject areas such as Social Studies and History, depending on the individual play’s subject matter. Activities are also included in this Curriculum Guide and in our pre-show workshops that support several of the Massachusetts state standards in Theatre. Other arts areas may also be addressed depending on the individual play’s subject matter. Reading Literature: Key Ideas and Details 1 Reading Literature: Craft and Structure 5 • Grade 8: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports • Grades 9-10: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and drawn from the text.
    [Show full text]
  • WEST SIDE STORY.Pages
    2015-2016 SEASON 2015-2016 SEASON Teacher Resource Guide ! and Lesson Plan Activities Featuring general information about our production along with some creative activities Tickets: thalian.org! !to help you make connections to your classroom curriculum before and after the show. ! 910-251-1788 ! The production and accompanying activities ! address North Carolina Essential Standards in Theatre or! Arts, Goal A.1: Analyze literary texts & performances. ! CAC box office 910-341-7860 Look! for this symbol for other curriculum connections. West Side Story! ! Book by: Arthur Laurents Music by: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim ! ! Based on Conception of: Jerome Robbins! Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet! October 9-11! and 16-18! ! 7:00 PM Thursday - Saturday! and 3:00PM Saturday & Sunday! Hannah Block Historic USO! / Community Arts Center! Second Street Stage 120 South 2nd Street (Corner of Orange) Resource! About this Teaching Resource! This Teaching Resource is designed to help build new partnerships that employ theatre and the Summery:! arts to address some of today’s pressing issues such as youth violence, bullying, gangs, ! interracial tensions, youth-police relations and cultural conflict. This guide provides a perfect ! ! opportunity to partner with law enforcement, schools, youth-based organizations, and community Page 2! groups to develop new approaches to gang prevention.! About the Creative Team, ! Summery of the Musical! About the Musical & Its Relevance for Today! ! Marking its 58th anniversary, West Side Story provides the backdrop to an exploration! Page 3! of youth gangs, youth-police relationships, prejudice and the romance of two young people caught Character & Story Parallels of in a violent cross-cultural struggle.The electrifying music of Leonard Bernstein and the prophetic West Side Story and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim hauntingly paint a picture as relevant today as it was more than 58 Romeo & Juliet ! years ago.
    [Show full text]
  • The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia
    THE STEPHEN SONDHEIM ENCYCLOPEDIA BY RICK PENDER “A wonderful encyclopedia on all things Sondheim that you will love reading.”— Bernadette Peters, Tony Award- winning actor and star of the original productions of Sunday in the Park with George as Dot and Into the Woods as the Witch “The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia is impressive in its depth and detail and a fitting testament to Steve’s extraordinary work. It’s also a lot of fun for any musical theater fan to endlessly peruse.” — James Lapine, playwright and director; bookwriter and director for Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Passion “Anyone who's been touched by Stephen Sondheim's extraordinary body of work will be grateful for this bottomless well of facts, figures, anecdotes and insights. A remarkable and entertaining resource.”— John Weidman, bookwriter for Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia is the first reference volume devoted to the works of this prolific composer and lyricist. The encyclopedia’s entries provide readers with detailed information about Sondheim’s work and key figures in his career, including his apprenticeship with Oscar Hammerstein II, his early work with Leonard Bernstein, and his work on television. Entries include all of his major works and key songs from such musicals as Assassins, Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Gypsy, Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story. Additional entries focus on his key collaborators, from lyricists to directors. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rick Pender has been an award-winning theater critic since 1986.
    [Show full text]
  • Teacher Resource Guide Falsettos.Titlepage.09272016 Title Page As of 091516.Qxd 9/27/16 1:51 PM Page 1
    Teacher Resource Guide Falsettos.TitlePage.09272016_Title Page as of 091516.qxd 9/27/16 1:51 PM Page 1 Falsettos Teacher Resource Guide by Nicole Kempskie MJODPMO!DFOUFS!UIFBUFS André Bishop Producing Artistic Director Adam Siegel Hattie K. Jutagir Managing Director Executive Director of Development & Planning in association with Jujamcyn Theaters presents Music and Lyrics by William Finn Book by William Finn and James Lapine with (in alphabetical order) Stephanie J. Block Christian Borle Andrew Rannells Anthony Rosenthal Tracie Thoms Brandon Uranowitz Betsy Wolfe Sets Costumes Lighting Sound David Rockwell Jennifer Caprio Jeff Croiter Dan Moses Schreier Music Direction Orchestrations Vadim Feichtner Michael Starobin Casting Mindich Chair Tara Rubin, CSA Production Stage Manager Musical Theater Associate Producer Eric Woodall, CSA Scott Taylor Rollison Ira Weitzman General Manager Production Manager Director of Marketing General Press Agent Jessica Niebanck Paul Smithyman Linda Mason Ross Philip Rinaldi Choreography Spencer Liff Directed by James Lapine Lincoln Center Theater is grateful to the Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Musical Theater at LCT for their leading support of this production. LCT also thanks these generous contributors to FALSETTOS: The SHS Foundation l The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation The Kors Le Pere Foundation l Ted Snowdon The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund American Airlines is the Official Airline of Lincoln Center Theater. Playwrights Horizons, Inc., New York City, produced MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS Off-Broadway in 1981 and FALSETTOLAND Off-Broadway in 1990. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 1 THE MUSICAL . 2 The Story . 2 The Characters . 4 The Writers . 5 Classroom Activities .
    [Show full text]
  • Romeo and Juliet Textbook.Pdf
    Before Reading Video link at The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet thinkcentral.com Drama by William Shakespeare VIDEO TRAILER KEYWORD: HML9-1034 Is LOVE stronger than HATE? It sounds like a story ripped from the tabloids. Two teenagers fall in RL 2 Determine a theme of a love at a party. Then they learn that their parents hate each other. text. RL 3 Analyze how complex The teenagers’ love is forbidden, so not surprisingly, they cling to characters develop over the course of a text, interact with each other even more tightly. Murder and suffering ensue, and by other characters, and advance the the end, a whole town is in mourning. What love can—and cannot— plot or develop the theme. RL 9 Analyze how an author overcome is at the heart of Romeo and Juliet, considered by many to draws on source material in a be the greatest love story of all time. specific work. RL 10 Read and comprehend dramas. L 3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language DEBATE People say that love conquers all. Is this statement true, functions in different contexts or is it just a cliché? How powerful is love? Discuss this topic in a and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. small group. Talk about instances in which love has brought people together as well as times when hate has driven them apart. Then form two teams and debate the age-old question, Is love stronger than hate? 1034 NA_L09PE-u10-brRome.indd 1034 1/14/11 8:34:36 AM Overview text analysis: shakespearean drama Act One You can probably guess that a tragedy isn’t going to end We meet the Montagues and the Capulets, with the words “and they all lived happily ever after.” two long-feuding families in the Italian city Shakespearean tragedies are dramas that end in disaster— of Verona.
    [Show full text]